BUILDING AND GROUNDS

“Come to him, a living stone…chosen and precious in God’s sight, and like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices to God though Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:4-5).

Gloria Dei Lutheran Church sees its building as an instrument of God’s welcome and outreach in the community – through people like you. In addition to the church’s ministries and events conducted within our walls, we are glad community organizations that reflect this parish’s vision for ministry also choose to meet in our building.

Gloria Dei is a Latin name meaning “glory of God.” It is our vision that this building and the ministry it houses will glorify God through worship and welcome, discipleship and service in the Hillside neighborhood of Duluth and beyond.

Although the congregation was established in 1870, it moved to its present location in 1906, a beautiful neo-Gothic structure. In the 1950s an adjoining wing was added with office space and meeting rooms where most mid-week events are held. After experiencing some deterioration over the years, the building underwent a dramatic renovation in 2005-06 in time for its centennial celebration, which focused on the sanctuary: re-plastering and painting the walls, restoring the stained glass window framing, refinishing the pews, and re-carpeting and reconfiguring the chancel area.

We give thanks to God for the inspiring generosity of many members whose financial gifts and expertise enabled this renovation to be completed without a loan.

The work of the Renovation Committee continues today attending to other parts of the building:

Stair Treads – “Getting in Step with the Spirit”

Hillside Room and other areas

Meanwhile, together with the Custodians, the Property and Renovation Committees continue to meet regularly and always welcome your gifts and talents in caring for Gloria Dei’s building and grounds.

Garden

When the City of Duluth decided to turn 6th Avenue East between 2nd and 3rd Streets into a two-way street, in the midst of adjusting traffic patterns and rebuilding the sidewalk and road near the building, Gloria Dei took the opportunity to install drain tile around the foundation and to level the parking lot. After the dust settled, new garden areas were planted around the building, using cuttings and donations from members. One of these areas is the butterfly garden, which is also a registered Monarch Waystation.